R.I.P. Joe Elmore through HOT ROD TV and then Horsepower TV shows I truly got hooked into SBC's and BBC's every Saturday morning since the mid 90's. From TNN to Spike to Motor Trend, speed channel, velocity and any other channels that its played on now. I always loved watching. No matter how many host they changed i still had to watch every Saturday.
Those old 400 small blocks were good and damn they sure seemed like 350hp back in the day to me, I put one in a 70Nova I pulled out of an old Impala 4dr or it may have been a caprice can’t remember it was a wreck, but it made that Nova come alive, of course todays cars are way faster lol but we thought we were fast back then
Heck yeah!!! 400 in that light Nova is power. I tell these Youngsters with the LS that they basically got a "cheat motor" with 400+ horses from the factory. We had to send that sbc to the machine shop buy from Summit to get 400 horses from SMOG engines. You was the man with 400+ horses and had DEEP Pocket$.🤜🏿🤛🏿😎
I have 2 of those. They need to breathe. They were detuned from the factory. spend the money on a good set of heads making sure yo drill out the steam holes , good cam , compression at 10:1 , good intake nanifold , 600 cfm double pumper 4 barrel carb. , timing at 34-36 degrees. It will go 400hp+ and 400# + torque. It will make good power from 2600 rpm to 5500 rpm. It is a lower rpm torque monster
In 1975, I was looking to buy a K-20, camper package. ($6,400) 3 people I knew had the 400 small block, and they all had over heating problems. I found a 1973 K-20, (350 cu in) with everything I wanted. For the price of a new truck, I bought the ‘73 and a slide in camper. Still have both. Over 60,000 miles with the camper on and never overheated. Only breakdown ever was a fuel pump.
I have almost 700,000 on a 77 GMC k10 4,X4 it has never over heated not once it's usually d heads that run water and don't service these that kills them 400 in a 77 .406 in a 68 Camaro built to the hilt and currently doing a 400 with MLS gaskets vortex heads stock cam with turbo going in my 4 door 66 Malibu grand kid hauler love that low bottom end torque total stump pullers..
It’s a nice engine, I did put a set of longer connecting rods and a set of short deck pistons on one of that engines several years ago and it worked pretty smooth and give us almost 400 HP. Saludos!
My grandmother had one these Caprice. My gpa hotrodded it a little. Gma never stopped for the police in that car😂. Years later she tried same stuff in her Honda and lost her license. She was a bus driver, lost that license too. She made a few mistakes. She lived tho
the trick I found with a 400 is to replace the cam with a stock cam for a 283 stock replacement. I'm getting approx 60 more horse. and I'm getting 26 miles to the gallon
It would've been interesting if they had tried some saturday afternoon hotrod tweaks to se what they could've squeezed out of it. Very few stock 350's could wring out 375 foot lbs
stock was rated in Gross horsepower at 255 h.p. in 71 72 they switched to net horsepower ratings which dropped it slightly. 70 motors were rated at 265 HP gross horsepower, all 70 through 72 blocks with four bolt on 400s, I replace my 993 head castings for 462 head castings.
I've built dozens of the early 400's and have never found a cracked block. Always threw away the heads. I ll say this, that short rod really made em scallop out the bottom of the cylinder. I've had a few that wouldn't clean up even .060 over. That dart SHP block is the way to go these days. Better in every way
I got a 78 ..400 smally it's got 3 frost plugs and a thicker Block ..I'd really like to know how infamous this one is and possibly value ..32,000 original miles
I have a stock 1980 400 only has intake and carb/ headers It made 296hrp stock 310 fpt. Now makes 320 hrp. 350 fpt, this guys motor is pretty worn out with what it made
Definitely not 😂 they had very weak rods and the siamese bore lead to hot spots in the cooling passages which caused a lot of Cracked heads and blown head gaskets from warping decks. Far from the best engine chevy made hell I'd even goes as far to say one of the worst at the time
I've got a question for you guys. I've heard differing opinions on this, but, should you soak your lifters in the oil you're going to run in the engine before installing them? Thanks! Also, can you point me to the link where you showed how to properly degree the camshaft? Thanks for all your help over the years!
The 400 heads are diffrent they have no steam ports. You can see if they are 400 heads cuz they will have a 3 point pyramid on the front of the head. I have a mild built 400 and have never ever had over heating issues
The 400 had cooling issues because the bore made the cylinder walls thin and the heat transfer to the cooling jackets was extreme compared to the 350 . There is also no real room to bore it out farther as the heat issue just gets worse.
400 small block good foundation to start, problem slightly run hotter than a 350 because of the Siamese bores biggest problem too short of connecting rods, externally balanced crankshaft if you don't mind the extra weight better off with a 396 go with aluminum heads.
these 400 engines were never intended for performance. they were only installed in trucks and heavy cars and some vans too. and were prone to over heating. their wasnt enough gains over the 350 to be practical. if you want real gas engine pulling torque the big block is the go to engine.
@@wymple09 not in the UK but only brand new disposable cars are dieing at 60k-80k cars built in early 2000 where sound as long as they were maintained well
What? How do you come up with "infamous.." SB ...? Wank factor in your dialogue is pathetic. And the 400 is FAQn amazing in a little brick package. You might try calling it "GOOD"? ‼️💯🦉
R.I.P. Joe Elmore through HOT ROD TV and then Horsepower TV shows I truly got hooked into SBC's and BBC's every Saturday morning since the mid 90's. From TNN to Spike to Motor Trend, speed channel, velocity and any other channels that its played on now. I always loved watching. No matter how many host they changed i still had to watch every Saturday.
Rip Joe
Those old 400 small blocks were good and damn they sure seemed like 350hp back in the day to me, I put one in a 70Nova I pulled out of an old Impala 4dr or it may have been a caprice can’t remember it was a wreck, but it made that Nova come alive, of course todays cars are way faster lol but we thought we were fast back then
You are fast and still were
😂....only thing u was fast at was tossing ya buddy's salad
Only Mopar was respectful
@@wildestcowboy2668 lay off of the meth!
Heck yeah!!! 400 in that light Nova is power.
I tell these Youngsters with the LS that they basically got a "cheat motor" with 400+ horses from the factory. We had to send that sbc to the machine shop buy from Summit to get 400 horses from SMOG engines. You was the man with 400+ horses and had DEEP Pocket$.🤜🏿🤛🏿😎
@@clydebethatway7485it's about the Torque in stock sbc 400.🤜🏿🤛🏿😎
I have 2 of those.
They need to breathe.
They were detuned from the factory.
spend the money on a good set of heads making sure yo drill out the steam holes , good cam , compression at 10:1 , good intake nanifold , 600 cfm double pumper 4 barrel carb. , timing at 34-36 degrees.
It will go 400hp+ and 400# + torque.
It will make good power from 2600 rpm to 5500 rpm. It is a lower rpm torque monster
is the manifold a edelbrock
rpm air gap ??
@@a.k.a.A.E.1
On mine I used a Weiand Stealth manifold.
You just described what to do with every engine. 😂
Swap pistons and rods for pistons using 5.7" rods and up the rpm redline and reduce side loading skirt wear and cylinder eggshaping
@@jarvislarson6864
I would if the pistons weren't expensive due to moving the ring grooves so close to the wrist pin bore.
In 1975, I was looking to buy a K-20, camper package. ($6,400) 3 people I knew had the 400 small block, and they all had over heating problems. I found a 1973 K-20, (350 cu in) with everything I wanted. For the price of a new truck, I bought the ‘73 and a slide in camper. Still have both. Over 60,000 miles with the camper on and never overheated. Only breakdown ever was a fuel pump.
I have almost 700,000 on a 77 GMC k10 4,X4 it has never over heated not once it's usually d heads that run water and don't service these that kills them 400 in a 77 .406 in a 68 Camaro built to the hilt and currently doing a 400 with MLS gaskets vortex heads stock cam with turbo going in my 4 door 66 Malibu grand kid hauler love that low bottom end torque total stump pullers..
Had one back in the day that 400 was Bullet Proof. I loved it.
Thanks for keeping it alive..
It’s a nice engine, I did put a set of longer connecting rods and a set of short deck pistons on one of that engines several years ago and it worked pretty smooth and give us almost 400 HP. Saludos!
Today's cars are only faster because of the transmissions. 3-4 speeds vs 6-8-10 speeds with the same rear gearing ratios and bigger tires.
030 over and a 6" rod ,hydraulic roller and a set AFR heads ,Now we're getting somewhere!!!😊😊
My grandmother had one these Caprice. My gpa hotrodded it a little. Gma never stopped for the police in that car😂. Years later she tried same stuff in her Honda and lost her license. She was a bus driver, lost that license too. She made a few mistakes. She lived tho
I love hearing what everyone would do with the 400. Not being sarcastic. It's actual cool to see diversity in my fellow motorheads.
That 376 ft lbs of TORQUE is what does it ALL !
🤜🏿🤛🏿😎💣💥🔥
Not too shabby on the numbers
this show is perfect for me !
i am owner of a 73 400 caprice.
i watch this !
my one needs more horses !!
That’s a lot of pens you both have 😂
VIPs' 😂😂😂😂
First thing I noticed. 🧐🤨😂
Believe it or not, they’re all different and have their very own purpose.
Definitely need more pens
They aren’t all pens. There’s a pen, pencil, sharpie, screwdrivers, scribe and other stuff.
It's all about the torque. Once it's off idle, it flies...
the trick I found with a 400 is to replace the cam with a stock cam for a 283 stock replacement. I'm getting approx 60 more horse. and I'm getting 26 miles to the gallon
Are you running a quadrajet? I used a Comp Cams 282h and got 22 mph in a half ton truck.
Best engine ever made
Love those 400sbc. If you make them breath better they willrun great and strong for a lot of miles.😊😊😊
It would've been interesting if they had tried some saturday afternoon hotrod tweaks to se what they could've squeezed out of it. Very few stock 350's could wring out 375 foot lbs
Yessah! I had a '75 sbc 400 that I put in a 1970 Impala Custom Coupe, totally stock, and it was good for street power back in the early 1990's.
...4 barrel 750 Quadrajet carb.
what we all really want to know is what is the load rating of Pat's shirt pockets?
Ikr, he has them pockets LOADED all the time 😂😂
Font knock those, they are a secret weapon. Bored .30 over with longer rods from the 350 and modern heads 425hp all day done it 7 times
U 2 guys are my favorite s I wish I had all that knowledge and wisdom of cars I thought I knew alot well thank you guys and take it easy ur fan jack 🎉
Sounds healthy too me man
Had 400 sb in a 68 Chevelle...just keep it under 7,000rpm and it's a beast
First three years of production were four bolt mains.
Fellow ai know had a Trans AM with a 400 - it was a remarkable engine.
stock was rated in Gross horsepower at 255 h.p. in 71 72 they switched to net horsepower ratings which dropped it slightly. 70 motors were rated at 265 HP gross horsepower, all 70 through 72 blocks with four bolt on 400s, I replace my 993 head castings for 462 head castings.
I had a 78GMC JOMMY that maybe?? Someone put a 400 in?? And i loved that thing. One if the vehicles i truly miss.
I worked in a machine shop disassembling engines in the late 80's every ,sbc 400 had at least cracked heads if not worse
I worked on a lot of these and owned 3. Never saw a cracked head.
I've built dozens of the early 400's and have never found a cracked block. Always threw away the heads. I ll say this, that short rod really made em scallop out the bottom of the cylinder. I've had a few that wouldn't clean up even .060 over. That dart SHP block is the way to go these days. Better in every way
I got a 78 ..400 smally it's got 3 frost plugs and a thicker Block ..I'd really like to know how infamous this one is and possibly value ..32,000 original miles
Maybe now a few people will stop saying 400s made 175hp. Shit is so annoying it's always the rice burners saying that shit
I have a stock 1980 400 only has intake and carb/ headers It made 296hrp stock 310 fpt. Now makes 320 hrp. 350 fpt, this guys motor is pretty worn out with what it made
400 of the best motors ever made from Chevrolet especially for horsepower
Definitely not 😂 they had very weak rods and the siamese bore lead to hot spots in the cooling passages which caused a lot of Cracked heads and blown head gaskets from warping decks. Far from the best engine chevy made hell I'd even goes as far to say one of the worst at the time
I guess you never drove a 396 or 427 or 454. Lots of fun there.
Absolutely!I have 6 of them.Big block torque without the weight.
@@konnerkramer329When built right they are badass.
@@IRastalion any engine can be badass is built right. Even a 3 cylinder geo metro can be cool if built right🤣
U rock
Upon installation, porcelain coated headers, a Rochester 4 barrel with SP2P intake,
Thank you for the video.
Is there any difference between the Chevy 400 the pontiac 400?
Keep up the good work.
What makes it infamous? It's always been a good runner.
Steam port heads, bigger bore piston longer stroke bigger rods
@@jasonpetrich4141 It's performance makes it FAMOUS not INFAMOUS is what I was getting at
@@olemansailor6519 okay gotcha
What is going on in that compressor clutch during the pull?
I've got a question for you guys. I've heard differing opinions on this, but, should you soak your lifters in the oil you're going to run in the engine before installing them? Thanks! Also, can you point me to the link where you showed how to properly degree the camshaft? Thanks for all your help over the years!
Surprised no old-timers brought up thin cylinder walls to water jackets 🧐
Back in the day, we called the thin wall design "Siamesed bore" blocks.
376 hp with a two barrel, carb power, steering pump and AC compressor. That’s pretty damn impressive. Not to mention it’s probably 40 years old.
376 torque……226 Horsepower
I read that wrong it’s 40 years old. Just the fact that is running is amazing.
I remember back in the day you had to drive a brand new motor 500 miles for a break in period, do you still have to do that?
The 400 heads are diffrent they have no steam ports. You can see if they are 400 heads cuz they will have a 3 point pyramid on the front of the head. I have a mild built 400 and have never ever had over heating issues
I think the small block chevy 400 was one
Of best engines gm had but their are other good one also
That is one neutered 400 small block!
don't skimp on the cfm .. friend growing up had a 400 in a 68 firebird.. it was pretty nice
Pontiac had their own 400
Bout to say....different than chevrolet
The 400 had cooling issues because the bore made the cylinder walls thin and the heat transfer to the cooling jackets was extreme compared to the 350 . There is also no real room to bore it out farther as the heat issue just gets worse.
400 4 bbl in trucks rated at 330hp net
400 2 bbl in cars rated at 265 hp net.
That 4bbl truck 400 weighs about lbs 200 more than the 2bbl because it is a BIG BLOCK. Bright boy
400 small block good foundation to start, problem slightly run hotter than a 350 because of the Siamese bores biggest problem too short of connecting rods, externally balanced crankshaft if you don't mind the extra weight better off with a 396 go with aluminum heads.
Jerk-off that to barrel and that intake replaceable in that thing can breathe it'll come alive
Awsome ❤
A: understand the meaning of the word "infamous"
B: get some pocket protectors
Small block 400 pistons fit in the 361 big block mopar gotta find conecting rods makes a great motor
What happened to Mike Galley
Can you clarify saying that you didn't change the timing? Meaning reset to stock, or as it was installed?
My guess was 180-200, it came in better then I was thinking
Those 400 small block chevys have a large bore and metal between cylinders is thin. Had a lot of trouble with cylinder cracks back in the day.
Baloney. They eliminated the water jackets between the cylinders, siamesed them. There is plenty of metal in there.
@@wymple09 he s a troll probably dosent know why the 400 has different heads
can i use the crossfire dual carb manifold from the 78 corvette for a 400 ??
Thats fast... Even today...
Used to get better numbers with a 2v 351w
I know that’s not true. I’ve had both those engines. Stop fibbing.
I have a 400 block 4 sale. it's out of a 72 Jimmy, don't think it is original.
Where you located?
What did you put what into what. You was not clear.
These guys need pocket protectors and they would be fully equipped.
It's a good power be cause it's not SAE brut HP but Din HP !
I see you taking after your father with all the useless pens in pocket lol
318 Dodge always cranked out more
Chevys were good at burning oil
How can it be the exact same block
if it’s a bigger bore?
Well, do you walls to accommodate for the cylinders?
Is this from Fat Stacks?
these 400 engines were never intended for performance. they were only installed in trucks and heavy cars and some vans too. and were prone to over heating. their wasnt enough gains over the 350 to be practical. if you want real gas engine pulling torque the big block is the go to engine.
The only thing to do in a 400 is to de-stroke to a 377
Something about seeing an old-school ac compressor in the dyno cell feels... wrong!
Ies the 400 have the larger spark plugs
Intake cam car to change over with heads then let’s see nombers
❤❤❤
The 350 2bbl would crank out 250hp.
That's a pretty decent torque number tho
That's... not a cabin.
balancer crank
What's sad is that today's turbo 4 cylinder engines can make that power.
Even GM was making 240bhp easily from a 4 cylinder in early 2000
@@johncoldwell340not at low rpm.
@@joelmclaughlin2558 very true but not the point I was making
And most turbo 4's are toast by 120,000 miles from excessive bearing loads & head problems.
@@wymple09 not in the UK but only brand new disposable cars are dieing at 60k-80k cars built in early 2000 where sound as long as they were maintained well
Comment
Pat needs to stop with the cocaine
What? How do you come up with "infamous.." SB ...? Wank factor in your dialogue is pathetic. And the 400 is FAQn amazing in a little brick package. You might try calling it "GOOD"? ‼️💯🦉
You 4cyl weirdo's, would have to go bankrupt to make the same power as any V8:
What a joke
I'm pregnant and it's your Dads baby.
Junk
God why do y’all make the show so fn eack